


Only One Night

by sleepyheadfan20



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Conflict, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 06:05:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5405804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepyheadfan20/pseuds/sleepyheadfan20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie and Crane bump into each at an inn two years after their breakup. A lot can happen in only one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Bump and Split

**Author's Note:**

> Guys. Forewarned is forearmed. This will be a heavy story, and it may or may not have a happy ending. I’m sorry to possibly break your heart again, but I do hope you like it. I wasn’t even going to write a Christmas fic with Ichabbie; there will be plenty. lol But I saw this Lifetime movie where two strangers get stuck in an inn and fall in love. The idea came to me, so here I am. Brace yourselves. I thought this would be an interesting, dramatic, and a very emotional and conflicting topic for Ichabbie. Feel free to tell me your thoughts and if this would be true to the characters. This AU may be three or four chapters. Maybe five, depending on how it goes.

Abbie stood at the front desk of the inn. She just flew in from Quantico for Christmas to visit Jenny, her sister. Jenny lived in Sleepy Hollow, but the roads were closed because of the snow. This meant Abbie had to spend the night in a hotel room until morning. 

“There is one room available, but it’s a suite for two people. Is that okay, ma’am?” said the hotel manager.

She sighed and nodded. “That’s fine.”

As she dug in her purse for her wallet, the manager spoke to someone else. 

“How may I help you, sir?”

“I would like to inquire about your room availability. Every hotel I’ve gone to is booked. Are there any rooms here?”

She froze with her wallet in hand. That voice: a formal British accent. Only one person had that voice. It couldn’t be—. She took a deep breathe, unzipped her wallet.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this customer,” she nodded to Abbie, “just purchased our last room.”

“Abbie.” he said.

What was he doing here? Of all the people to run into in Sleepy Hollow, she didn’t want, nor expect it to be him. Since she left for the FBI two years ago, they hadn’t seen each other. They broke up. Rekindling anything because of the Christmas spirit wasn’t happening.

She looked at him. Nothing changed: his beard that made her tingle, his twitching fingers that revealed his emotions, his ties she helped him pick for his lectures when they lived together. Should she share her room with him? She didn’t want to, but she didn’t want him to have any trouble finding a hotel. Plus, it was for two people. If it were reversed, he’d do the same for her, despite their relationship.

Did she still have feelings for him? She wasn’t sure. Their relationship didn’t end on the best terms. That isn’t something she wanted to revisit. If she did have any feelings for him, she wouldn’t show them. Coming home for Christmas didn’t mean bumping into the past. She just wanted to check into her room, so that she could leave in the morning. It was only one night.

“Crane.” She turned back to the manager. “We can split the room.”

She told them the price; they each took out their card to pay for half. After she handed them their room keys, they grabbed their luggage, walked to their room. Abbie stuck her hand in her coat pocket, played with the lent in it. They were almost there. Would Crane want to catch up to where they are now? He held the door open for her. She stepped into the room. Or would he want to talk about the miscarriage of their child? It was only one night, but she didn’t know what would happen as the door clicked behind them.


	2. Gel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback time. :( There was a bit of research involved, but I had to stop digging so much to keep this simple. I tried to keep it as realistic as possible. Please let me know if there is any misinformation. I am so sorry for breaking your heart, guys. This was heavy to write.

_“Abigail Mills.”_

_Abbie stood up and walked to the back with Dr. Williams. Crane wanted to come with her, but she told him she wanted to do this alone. She wanted a moment with just her and their baby. It was selfish, but Crane respected her desire to bond with their child on her own. He did grumble and tell her that he would not miss another appointment if he could help it._

_As she sat on the medical table with her shirt up and the ultrasound gel on her stomach, Abbie messed with a belt loop in her maternity jeans. This was her second appointment; she liked the gel the first time she felt it. It was a delight to feel it again, a thrill that made her want to keep it on her stomach. She could see her baby again, her growth. Abbie could absorb her heartbeat, her little fingers and nose and toes for the first time._

_“How is she?”_

_Dr. Williams gave her a small smile, moved the ultrasound probe around her belly. Here and there. Here and there._

_“Looks like you already know what your baby will be.”_

_She shrugged. “Intuition, I guess.”_

_She didn’t want to find out the sex of their child. Abbie already knew she was a girl. The gender didn’t matter much to Crane. He was just happy to be a father._

_“Why is there no sound?”_

_Dr. Williams glanced at the screen, then Abbie’s stomach. She did this two more times while moving the probe. “You should definitely hear her heartbeat. You’re nine weeks pregnant. Have you experienced any bleeding or cramping, Miss Mills?”_

_“No. What is it?”_

_“I’m sorry to tell you this, but it appears you’ve had a missed miscarriage, Miss Mills. Your baby isn’t in the womb.”_

_She shook her head and put her hands on her stomach. What could she say?_

_Dr. Williams touched Abbie’s knee. “I’m so sorry.”_

_“What will happen next?”_

_“There is leftover tissue that your body has to dispose.”_

_“When will it happen?”_

_“It could happen at any time. You can choose to let this happen naturally or you can take medication to push everything out at a faster pace.”_

_She rubbed her stomach and shook her head. Her breathe was short. To feel and see the remains of Lori slipping from her would break her. Playing the waiting game would just remind her of the possibilities that she could have had with Lori and that she and Crane couldn’t have their family. Waiting would just remind of her of what she didn’t have anymore._

_“I’ll take the medication.”_

_“Are you sure?”_

_She nodded._

_“Are you sure, Miss Mills? Would you like to call—?”_

_“No.”_

_How would she tell Crane? She knew he would be just as broken. He loved kids. Besides speaking to them about the inaccuracies in their history books, from 8a.m.-2p.m., he answered their imaginative and curious questions about the world. They giggled and shouted, “Teach me.” after he performed magic tricks before class ended. He brought his students homemade cookies or cupcakes every Friday. What would he do with this news? She should talk to him about this decision first, but she couldn’t wait. That was too big for her._

_Dr. Williams nodded. “I’ll write you a prescription for the medication.”_

_“How long will it take for the medicine to kick in?”_

_Dr. Williams wrote on a slip of paper. “About 30 minutes or an hour. You will bleed for a few days. It will be like getting your period.”_

_“I want it.”_

_She swallowed. “Ok, Miss Mills. I really am sorry. Apologizing doesn’t make it better, I know, but…”_

_Abbie avoided her eyes, massaged her belly. She wondered if Lori could feel her trying to touch her, even though she was barely there. She jerked her hands away from her stomach._

_“Can I clean this gel off?”_

_She handed Abbie a cloth. She wiped away the gel, but kept a little bit in between her fingers. She gave the cloth back to the doctor, stretched her shirt down as far as she could before standing up._

_“Thank you for everything.”_

_She handed Abbie the slip. “Miss Mills, I truly am—”_

_“I’ll get this filled, Dr. Williams.” As Abbie left the room, she put the slip in her pocket, moving her fingers to get the feel of the gel one last time._

_****  
After Abbie came from CVS, she stared out the opened window with her arms crossed. Inhaling the wind, she put her hands on her belly. She took deep breathes, more and more to stop the news from wrecking into her. Crane would be home soon. She wondered if Lori would have liked the color purple or pigs with wigs. Gel was still caught in the webs of her fingers. _

_****  
The front door opened and closed. She put her hands under her shirt to rub her belly._

_“Abbie, I’m home. Did you have a fulfilling appointment with our child?” Crane said as he kissed the top of her hair. “Abbie?”_

_She turned around, but didn’t look at him. “There was no heartbeat.”_

_Crane put his hands on her shoulders, bent to her level. “What do you mean there was no heartbeat? You must be mistaken.”_

_“I miscarried. I’m just waiting for the rest of her to come through me or the tissue as Dr. Williams said.”_

_He sat on the bed. “That can’t be correct. Our baby was fine. She was supposed to be fine, Abbie.”_

_He stood back up, ran his hands over his beard. Then he paced back and forth. This is how he was now. She didn’t know what he would do when she told him about the medication._

_“You need to take off work tomorrow.”_

_His stopped moving; his fingers twitched. “What for?”_

_She moved her fingers back and forth over her stomach again, shut her eyes. “I would just let the rest happen, but I’m not. I’m taking medication. The prescription will be ready tomorrow morning.”_

_Crane gasped. Abbie opened her eyes to find him sitting on their bed. His elbows rested on his knees while his hands covered his face. Abbie looked away as he cried._

_“I knew what this would do to you.”_

_He removed his hands. “You have no idea what this does to me.”_

_“You think you’re the only one who’s hurting? The only one who’ll miss—?” She bit her lip as she felt the grief split into her. She cried with wide eyes._

_Crane stared at her. “Our baby.”_

_She stood in front of him, put their foreheads together. Both their hands were under her shirt, trying to feel for her. He kissed her stomach._

_****  
Abbie and Crane held each other’s hands while they lay in bed together. That’s where they looked as she told him about the gel. When she told him she started to bleed, he left the room, leaving Abbie to think about the gel by herself. They didn’t speak to each other for four days. _


	3. Author's Note

So, to avoid confusion and misinformation, I decided to change the abortion to a missed miscarriage. That’s more accurate for the story, since Abbie didn’t have any of the normal miscarriage symptoms. Two guests (thank you!) left comments about miscarriages and how they work. They made it clear to me that the baby has already died, but the tissue hasn’t passed through yet, if that makes sense. Therefore, a woman can’t get an abortion for that. From researching, I found that she can take medicine to make the rest of the tissue come quicker or she can let it happen on its own. I’ve made some changes to chapters 2 and 3. I just changed the abortion part to a missed miscarriage in chapter 1, so there’s no big change in that one. Everything is the same. Feel free to reread chapter 2 on Fanfic or Archive of Our Own. I’m working on chapter 3 as we speak. If not, it’s fine. Anyway, I just want to have correct information. I don’t mean to cause any confusion. Thanks for reading. :)


	4. In the Open

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the third chapter. There may be one more after this. This chapter is okay. I don’t think it was as intense as I wanted it to be, but I do like it. Hopefully, it’s not all over the place. Enjoy. :)

Abbie and Crane stood in the middle of the room. There was one bed and one sofa. Abbie took a deep breathe. How were they going to do this? The bed was big enough for two people. It was a suite, but she wasn’t sharing a bed with Crane. If he wanted the bed, fine. She just wanted to eat, sleep, and go see Jenny tomorrow. It was around seven o’clock in the evening. As soon as the roads reopened, she would leave. 

“Where are you sleeping?” Abbie said.

“I will take my place on the sofa.”

She nodded. “I’ll take the bed then.”

She put her suitcase and purse on top of the bed. Jenny was probably wondering where she was. She dug for her phone and stepped outside the room.

“Hey. Where are you? Joe and I are waiting.”

“I’m not going to be able to make it. All the roads are closed. I’m staying at an inn tonight.”

“What? I had some good news to tell you when you got here.”

Abbie shrugged and shook her head. “It’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Alright. Be home soon.”

“See you tomorrow,” she said.

They said goodbye and hung up. Telling Jenny about Crane wasn’t a good idea. It would only bring up questions about their past lives that she didn’t want to answer. Sharing a room with Crane already overwhelmed her. Talking about it would make it worse. Sighing, she went back inside. 

“Are you hungry? I could order us room service.”

She glanced at Crane as she turned on the television. “Sure. Thanks.”

“What would like?” He sat at a round wooden table where the room phone was.

“Whatever you’re getting is fine.” 

As Crane called in their order, she moved her stuff to the floor and took off her shoes. She sat on the bed, flipped through the channels. In one program, a family opened presents. In another, a couple, holding their newborn, posed for a photo in front of their tree. Abbie touched her belly. Lori would’ve been about two. She removed her hand, switched off the TV.

“Is nothing on?” Crane said, putting the phone on the hook.

“No. How long will the food take?”

“The cook said our meal would take about forty-five minutes.”

Abbie nodded, got out of bed. She dug through her suitcase for her pajamas. A shower would do her some good. 

“I won’t be long,” she said, walking toward the bathroom.

“Take your time. I shall knock when our supper arrives.” He took out some papers.

She nodded again, then shut the door behind her. The shower ran as she removed her clothes. What would she talk about with Crane? They skittered around the past and acted like they barely knew each other. She knew they would have to discuss it. They couldn’t share the same space without talking about what happened. But Abbie just didn’t want to. She wouldn’t mention Lori until Crane did. He might say something about her before they went to sleep. After she bathed and rinsed off, Crane knocked on the door.

“Our meal has arrived.”

“I’ll be out in five minutes.”

Before she turned off the shower, dried off, and put on her pjs, she stood in front of the water with her hands rubbing her belly.

****  
They sat at the table with their dinner. Crane had a stack of papers beside his plate and a red pen. He chewed and marked at the same time. Abbie gave him a small smile. He always did that whenever they ate dinner. At first it got on her nerves, but she didn’t mind after a while. She liked to stare at his hands. They skimmed, scribbled, touched his lips, or pushed his hair back. Kind of like now. She avoided her eyes and sipped her tea. 

“Did you ever join the FBI in Quantico?” He glanced at her, then back at his papers.

“Yeah, I did. It’s great. I love it.” 

He passed her a little smile. “I’m glad.”

“What about you?” She drunk some more tea. “Do you still teach elementary school kids?”

“I teach high school students now.”

She chuckled. “You said you would never do that. I thought they were too unruly.”

“Oh, they are nightmares at times, but I do enjoy them. They challenge me about the Founding Fathers in ways I’ve never thought of before. I haven’t been able to instruct elementary since our departure. All I could think about whenever I observed my students was…” He sighed, shuffled his papers.

Abbie put her fork down. She looked away from him, drunk her tea. “You still won’t say Lori’s name.”

Anytime Crane would talk about Lori, she was always “she,” “her,” “our daughter,” “our baby,” or some kind of term of endearment. 

“Pronouncing her name is—”

“You’re doing it again. Stop referring to Lori as ‘her.’ Just say Lori’s name, Crane.” 

He stood up with his papers. “I do not wish to do so, Abbie. I do not mind discussing our daughter, but forcing me to say her name is what I won’t do.” 

She shook her head. “It pisses me off when you distance yourself from her. It’s like you want to remember her, but you don’t.”

He would only go so far when he talked about Lori. If Abbie mentioned her more than once, Crane would change the topic. Sometimes he would interrupt her mid-sentence and make up something about grading papers or calling a parent about a misbehaved student. Those were lies because Crane always graded as soon as possible. Plus, he never had to call a student’s parents. They all loved him. The most he’s ever done is put a child in time-out.

“Her absence puts me in despair and is still difficult to deal with. It’s too much.”

“I don’t want to hear it’s too much.”

“What don’t you understand? What more do you want from me?” He put his papers down.

“Why did you leave me by myself? How come you didn’t sleep in our room with me or speak to me for days? I needed you. That’s what I wanted. I was alone.”

“I was grieving, too.”

“I get that, but you abandoned me in the process.”

“That is not true. I listened to your rambles about her future and her interests and her personality like she was still alive. She’s dead, Abbie.”

She stood up and walked in front of him. “My rambles? Thinking and talking about Lori is rambling?”

“I didn’t want to hear about her once you told me we lost her. Then you made me sit through—”

“The rest of the miscarriage that you weren’t there for?”

He distanced himself from her, paced in the middle of the room. “I never wanted to watch you go through that. To sit there and watch you suffer was….We could have had another, Abbie, but you refused. And whatever happened to being partners? You should have told me before you made that choice. There was no time to grieve.”

“There was no time to grieve for you. That’s what you mean. It’s not just about you, Crane. You think I was selfish for not telling you and having more kids.”

She wasn’t selfish. Crane didn’t understand her perspective. She wasn’t ready for more kids. What if she had another miscarriage? What if he left her to handle it on her own again? And having the rest of Lori inside her wasn’t what she wanted. There was no waiting. She loved her just as much as Crane and had to do what she thought was easiest. For him to imply that she was selfish wasn’t fair. Why was she to blame?

He stopped pacing and held up his finger. “I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t need to. I told you Dr. Williams said—”

“I know what she said.”

“Then why is it my fault, Crane?” She stood in front of him.

“You didn’t try hard enough. It’s your fault because you didn’t do enough to check to make sure she was alive. You should have had a second opinion from another nurse instead of taking her word for it. I’ll admit, I do think you were selfish. I couldn’t even touch you. ”

She bit her lip, blinked a few times. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t do anything wrong. I did what I knew how to in the moment. I handled it the best I could. You shouldn’t have left me like you did. You should have opened up to me. You shut me out for four days. If anyone was selfish, it was you. You didn’t think about me.”

Did he even understand how that made her feel? The loneliness he left her with was the worst feeling, like a bowling ball hitting the pins, loud and uncontrollable. She couldn’t control it. For him to just leave during the most critical time was unacceptable. She didn’t deserve that, despite how he felt. 

“I wished we could have conversed before you made that decision. I would have been fine with it had I known how you felt. You shut me out first when you did that Abbie. You wouldn’t let me be there for the appointment in the first place. I wanted to share that moment with you.”

“Maybe I should have spoken to you, but I don’t need your permission. It’s my body. If I didn’t want to wait, then it’s my choice. Not yours. If I wasn’t ready to have more kids or let you touch me, that’s my choice. I have a right.”

“Agreed, but you could have at least told me. We were supposed to be in it together. We are partner.”

Abbie sighed. “What are we even fighting about, Crane? Are we mad at each other because we grieve differently? Or is it because we’re angry about Lori and just need someone to blame? Are we arguing about trust?”

He sat on the bed, rubbed his hands over his face, and sighed. “I’m afraid it is all of what you ask. We were so caught up in our own grief that we forgot about the other person. We grieved apart. I lost trust in you as you did in me. I am sorry for abandoning you as I did and for blaming you for her death. It was rather selfish of me. I had no right to say that you rambled about Lori. You constantly talked about her because that’s how you coped.”

“I should have told you what I planned to do. She wasn’t just mine.”

“You know I would have respected your decision either way. I thought you didn’t need me.” He glanced away from her.

She shook her head. “Was that part of the reason why you left the room and didn’t speak to me?”

“It was.”

Why couldn’t he tell her that? Both of them kept so much inside and didn’t communicate like they should have then. They always shared, even if it was hard to do sometimes. They didn’t know how to put all of their emotions into words. How do you explain the loss of a child? How do you talk about that?

“At least we’re talking now. It was no one’s fault. We both had a hard time with losing Lori.” She sat next to him on the bed. “I was selfish, too. I did ignore your grief also.”

“We knew it would we be hard. We did what we knew how to do.”

“It doesn’t excuse our behavior though. Does it? I think we lost our compassion and empathy for the other.”

He grabbed her hand. “I’m afraid we did.”

She put her head on his shoulder. So much for not showing feelings toward him.

“What do we do now? Everything is in the open.”

“Would you mind standing in front of me?”

She lifted her head. “Why?”

“Please, Abbie.”

She did, and he pulled her between his legs. He held the hem of her pj shirt, looked at her. She knew what he needed to do.

“It’s alright,” she said as she put half her shirt over her chest, revealing her stomach.

At first he started to reach out, but he paused. Abbie took his hands and placed them on her belly with hers ontop. He stared at her stomach while his hands moved around. Hers followed. His breathe bumped into her skin. 

“Lori,” he said. “My sweet Lori.”

She rubbed his back with one hand, played with his hair with the other; he kissed her stomach. 

She closed her eyes. “I miss her, too, Crane.”

****

They lay in bed like they did when she first got pregnant. Her shirt was lifted. Both of them had her hands on her belly.


	5. Half of Each

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4. Something for your feels. This isn’t as depressing. Smiley face????

Abbie’s back was against Crane’s chest. Their stilled hands rested on her stomach.

“Can I ask you a question, Abbie?”

“Sure.”

“Would you want more children someday?” 

She sat up. That was the question she thought about every time she saw mothers and fathers with their kids.

She squeezed her arms. “I don’t know, Crane.”

After what she experienced the first time, she couldn’t risk it happening again. The first time broke her. She didn’t know what it would do to her the second time. She’d probably give up for good. She’d adopt, but she would still want her own child.

“I understand.” He sat up, too, rubbed her back.

“What about you?”

“I’m not sure either.”

She placed her hand on his knee.

“Do you recall when we first discovered you were pregnant?”

She gave him a small smile. “Yeah. Lori wasn’t even planned, but I was happy we made her. She was a piece of us, half of each.”

“She would’ve been around two years of age.”

Abbie nodded. “Who would she have looked like?”

“Her resemblance to you would be quite extraordinary. She’d inherit your bright smile and wide brown eyes. She would have your beautiful brown skin and your will.”

She bit her lip, glanced away. “Thanks, Crane, but maybe not. She’d have your nose and height. I think she’d have your charm, too.”

“Lori would be your clone. I wanted a daughter who was just like you: ever brave and stunning.”

A bigger smile appeared. “Believe it or not, I wanted Lori to be just like you: a genuine bookworm.”

“How about we settle it? Lori would have been like the both of us.”

“Half of each,” she said.

“Half of each.”

“I have another question if that is permitted.”

She gave him a nod.

“What did your miscarriage feel like?” 

“Heavy and empty.” She paused. “It wasn’t a good feeling.”

“Did you feel her pass through?”

She squeezed her arms again. The doctor said it was tissue. Tissue or not, it felt like the last parts of Lori slipping from her. There was no way to control it, to leave her where she originally was for a few seconds longer. She wanted to, but she didn’t want to. 

“I still can’t talk about that.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“Maybe one day, I’ll be able to share it.”

“Why did I ever leave you?”

She laid her head on his chest. “I wished you were there, too. But you can’t change it. You’re here now. It’s a start.”

As she looked at him, he traced her eyebrow, her nose. Abbie touched his beard, pushed some hair out of his face. Her idea of not showing feelings didn’t exist anymore. She did still love him. It wasn’t just because he helped her create a baby, but it was because she loved who he was. He had his flaws. They both did, but she loved him regardless. He had a way with words that left her breathless and confused. His sensitivity and kindness was endearing. She missed that about him. There weren’t a lot of guys she dated after their four years together and two years apart. No one ever came close.

His lips flitted against her forehead. “Even though our grief with Lori divided us, I’ve always still loved you. You were dearly—”

She kissed him. It was something mild, but it turned into severity. Their knitted lips and tongues clung for restoration. Their fingers browsed the tips of necks and still ticklish corners. They crawled into the other, consoling and repairing what they could and couldn’t. They gave away half of each: vivid frustrations, assembled loneliness, bright joy, compacted forgiveness. The other half was individually boxed for them, but with weightless kisses on untouched skin, they knew it was okay. Lori left roots in them that couldn’t be plucked from where they were. When Abbie and Crane finally, fully seeped and slicked into each other, all that spilled and confined them was sorrow and healing.


	6. Pancakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Read: Last chapter, Sleepyheads. You’re gonna dislike me for the ending, but the answer to your question is yes. That’s if you ask the one I’m thinking of. :) Thank you so much for reading. Have a Merry Christmas. :)

  
Abbie woke up first. Her phone said it was 9:30a.m. The roads were probably open now. As she sat up, she glanced at Crane. He was on his back with an open mouth, snoring. She chuckled to herself. He was still the same. She removed the sheet from her and went to her suitcase. After she gathered her clothes, she went into the bathroom, ran the shower before stepping in.

Did she regret last night? Not at all. They both needed it to release what they felt about Lori and each other. She didn’t know what they would be after this, but they were in a better place. They understood how the other grieved and how to help them cope. 

She heard a knock on the door. Smiling, she shook her head. He used to always do this when he wanted to shower with her. He never said anything unless it was an emergency or someone was at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and closed; Crane pulled back the curtain, smiling at her. She made room for him.

“Good morning,” he said, kissing her shoulder, then neck.

“Morning.” She kissed his lips before turning around. “Where you are headed?”

He ran his fingers down her back. “I was travelling from New York. I had a lecture at a university about Christmas during the American Revolution. Today, I’m headed to the Historical Society for another lecture. What about you?”

“Jenny’s.” She put his arms around her waist, laid her head on his chest.

“How is Miss Jenny? Isn’t she still with Mr. Corbin?”

“She’s good. And yeah, they finally got married last year.”

“Your sister?”

She laughed, reached for her soap and rag, and passed it to Crane. “I can’t believe it either. She said she would never marry. Her freedom was important to her. I guess Joe finally talked her into it. Don’t ask me how.”

“Well, I’m pleased to hear it. I’m sure they are quite happy.” 

“She said she had some news for me when I got there. I’m not sure what though. Maybe they got a puppy or are moving for Joe’s job in the army.”

He gave her back the soap to put down. Then he bathed her back like he did when she was pregnant. “I guess we shall see what it is.”

“We? Don’t you have a lecture to get to?”

“I called to cancel it. I told them I had other matters to attend to.”

She faced him. “Jenny doesn’t know I ran into you.”

“Well, she is quite fond of surprises.”

“She’s still mad at you for leaving me like you did. Welcoming you with open arms is the last thing she’ll want to do. I’ll call her to warn her.” She took the rag from him and bathed his chest.

“Miss Jenny has every right to be furious with me.”

“She’ll warm up to you again. Give her time.”

“I am sorry.”

She looked at him. “You don’t have to apologize anymore.”

“I must. For as long as I draw breath, Abbie.”

She kissed his lips. “I’m sorry, too.”

His grabbed her wrists, kissed her forehead. “How shall we seal this accord again?”

“I can think of a few ways.” She hung the rag where it was before.

He smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up, and her legs wrapped around his waist.

****  
“Do you think Lori would like pancakes?” Abbie said, cutting up her food.

They sat in the dining area of the inn with their suitcases beside them. 

“I think she would enjoy them. Would she like chocolate chips in them?”

“We don’t like chocolate chips in our pancakes. She’d want blueberries like you and extra whipped cream like me.”

“We can’t forget the syrup.”

She rolled her eyes. “She’d have your sweet tooth.” 

He nodded, poked his eggs with his knife. “I miss her. The hardest part about her absence is guessing who she would have been. We will never know our daughter. That saddens me the most.”

She placed her hand on his. He squeezed it. “I know.”

They ate some more of their food until Abbie’s phone rang.

“It’s Jenny,” she said. 

She was going to call her after breakfast, but that wasn’t the case anymore. Sighing, she answered.

“Morning.”

“Morning. Where are you? The roads are open. Do you need us to come get you?”

“We’ll take a cab.” She glanced at Crane with a smile. He held her hand.

“We?”

Abbie shut one of her eyes. “Me and Crane.”

“What the hell, Abbie? Crane? Seriously? That—”

“It’s okay, Jenny. We talked about everything.”

“I’m going to kick his ass when he gets here. Tell him I said that.”

“Be a little nice.”

“Not happening. You’re a much bigger than me for forgiving him. That’s wasn’t right.”

“We both did things to hurt each other. It’s not just him.”

“But still.”

“I get where you’re coming from, Jenny. But I don’t want to be angry anymore. Can you try to get along with him for me?”

Jenny sighed. “Consider this your Christmas gift.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Thank you. We’ll be there soon.”

“Alright. Joe won’t be happy about this either.”

“I know, but tell him what I told you. See you in a bit.”

They hung up. 

“I take it Miss Jenny and Mr. Corbin won’t be too pleased to meet my acquaintance again?”

“Not really. It’s to be expected.”

“They have every right. My behavior wasn’t noble.”

“They just need time.”

“I hope I can make it up to them, especially Miss Jenny.”

“You don’t have a choice.” She smiled a tiny smile.

“Indeed.”

They finished breakfast and left for Jenny’s.

****  
Outside of Jenny’s apartment, Abbie squeezed Crane’s hand. He glanced at her.

“She’ll be a storm,” she said before knocking. 

He nodded. When Jenny opened the door, she hugged her. 

“I’ve missed you, too,” Abbie said. 

Joe waved at her from the doorway; she waved back. Jenny let her go and walked toward Crane. Abbie and Joe tried to hold her arms, but she snatched away from them. 

“Jenny,” Abbie said.

“Crane, brace yourself,” Joe said.

Crane’s fingers twitched as he stared at her sister. “Miss Jenny, I am sincerely sorry for—”

She slapped him. 

“Jenny,” Abbie said, her mouth open.

“I told you I was going to beat his ass when I saw him. If you ever do anything like that to my sister again….”

Her sister turned around and walked into her place; Joe followed, but Abbie went to Crane. He rubbed his cheek.

“She’s got quite the hand, hasn’t she?”

She touched his face; he flinched. “I didn’t tell her to do that. You okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I do deserve it after all.”

“She went too far. I’m sorry about that.”

“You did warn me.”

“I think her wrath is over for the most part. She’s been wanting to do that for a while.”

He picked up their suitcases. “We shall see.”

They walked inside. Abbie gave Joe a hug, and Crane shook his hand. 

“What news did you have?” Abbie sat on the sofa.

Crane sat down next to her while Jenny sat in Joe’s lap.

“Later. I want details. When did you two happen?”

“Yesterday evening. Long story short, we ran into each other while trying to find a room. There was only one left, so I offered to share. We had dinner and talked about everything that happened. We’re good.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Jenny said.

“It was a challenge, but we finally understand each other.” She glanced at him.

“Did you sleep together?”

“What was the news?” Abbie put her hair behind her ear.

Jenny’s eyes widened. “Is that a yes?”

“Mind your business.”

“I guess you two really did make amends.” She paused. “Are you happy?”

Abbie met eyes with Crane, nodded her head before turning back to Jenny. “I am.”

She nodded. “Crane, I’m still incredibly pissed at you, but you’ve proven yourself to my sister. I’ll take it easy on you.”

“I sincerely appreciate that Miss Jenny. I truly am sorry.”

“We’ll see. I won’t be so nice next time.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Abbie took his hand. “What was the news?” 

Jenny smiled at Joe. “We’re pregnant.”

Abbie put her hand in her lap. She wasn’t expecting this kind of news. For one, Jenny said she would never have kids. On the other hand, she didn’t know how to feel about her sister’s announcement. She wanted to be happy for her, which she was. At the same time, she was jealous, but she wouldn’t spoil her sister’s moment. 

“I’m happy for you two.”

“Are you sure? I know—”

“Stop, Jenny. You know I’ll support you no matter what. I can’t wait to see my niece or nephew.” 

Crane put his hand on Abbie’s. “Congratulations, Miss Jenny and Mr. Corbin.”

“Thanks, Crane,” Joe said. 

“Do you know what you want?” Abbie said.

“It doesn’t really matter to us. We’ll be happy either way,” said Jenny.

“When did you find out?”

“About three weeks ago. I didn’t want to tell you over the phone.”

“Whatever happened to not having kids? Did you talk my sister into this, Joe?”

“Getting her to marry me was hard enough. There’s no way I would’ve talked her into children. It was an accident, but a good one.”

“I thought I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted because of being pregnant, but I’ll just take my kid along. We can be one of those families that travels everywhere.”

Abbie shook her head. “Children aren’t even enough to hold you down.”

“Nope.” Jenny got up. “I’m feeling festive. I bought gingerbread houses for us to make. I didn’t know you were coming, Crane. You can share with Abbie.”

“Let’s go before she eats one.” Joe stood. “Her cravings have already started to kick in.” 

“Shutup.” She hit him on the chest.

“Can you give us a minute? We’ll be outside.”

“Sure.” She paused. “Abbie?”

Jenny went to hug her sister. Abbie squeezed her. 

“I miss my niece everyday. I’m so sorry. If any of this is hard sometimes, just tell us. We’ll stop.” She put some space between them. “We get it.”

She kissed her sister on her forehead. “Go make your house. We’ll be outside.”

Jenny glanced at Crane. “You, too.”

“Thank you, Miss Jenny.”

She gave him a little smile. After giving Abbie one last look, she went into the kitchen. Once alone, Abbie went outside with Crane. She sighed.

“How are you feeling?” she said. 

“I should be asking you that same question.”

“I have a mix of everything.” She looked away. “I don’t want to be jealous of my sister, but I am. I can have kids. It’s just difficult knowing that she may be able to carry through when I didn’t. I’m also extremely happy for her, though. She’ll be great with kids.”

“I understand. I, too, am a bit envious of her and Mr. Corbin. I’m sure they will be quite overjoyed with their baby. I do wish them the best of luck. They will be excellent parents, no doubt.”

“I just don’t want my sister to go through that, you know? Jenny may seem tough on the outside, but she’s just as sensitive as me.”

“God forbid, but if tragedy does strike, we will be by their side. Mr. Corbin will do everything in his power to make sure Miss Jenny and the baby are well.”

“Definitely. But still. There’s no way to control it. It just happens.”

“Let’s pray that it doesn’t.”

Abbie nodded, wrapped her arms around his waist. They held each other. Then they went inside to make their gingerbread house.

****  
It’s been three weeks since Abbie and Crane spent the night together in the inn. She transferred from Quantico to the FBI headquarters in Sleepy Hollow for Jenny and Crane. Spending time with the both of them was important to her, especially since her sister is expecting soon. She wanted to be there as much as she could for her. Jenny was doing quite well with being pregnant. Her sister was content. She’d never seen Jenny so delighted before. It was nice to observe her sister experience motherhood for the first time. Sometimes, she’d catch Jenny rubbing her belly, smiling down at it. Abbie would smile at that, but she’d also look elsewere. She missed those moments and often thought of the gel that coated her stomach and sat between her fingers. 

When she helped her sister pick out baby clothes or saw Crane assist Joe in putting something together for the baby, they would both nod at each other, reminding the other to be strong for Jenny and Joe. It wasn’t about them right then. Once they were alone, they’d hold each other and talk about Lori. Other times, they’d cry or sit in the quiet.

****  
“What’s the smell?” Abbie said, sitting down at the table.

She let Crane stay over for the weekend. 

“I’m making my specialty: pancakes. You love my pancakes. You don’t ever refuse them, even if you’re angry with me.” He mixed more batter.

Abbie covered her nose. “They smell bad right now. Can you make something else?”

Crane turned around to face her as Abbie uncovered her nose. The last time she said she didn’t like his pancakes was when—

“Abbie. You aren’t—?”

“I’m pregnant.”


End file.
